- Becca B
TORCHE. TORCHED. TOR-SHAY.
Updated: May 14, 2022
MAY 2022- TORCHE FANS REJOICE AS OUR FAVORITE MIAMI BASED HARD-ROCKING, METAL QUARTET HIT THE ROAD AGAIN FOR A HOME STATE TOUR IN FLORIDA.
FULL ARTICLE BELOW.
TORCHE, PHOTO BY BECCA BARLOW - MAY 2022 - LOOSEY'S, GAINESVILLE, FL
MAY 11, 2022.
The year is 2020. It's mid-February and all is seemingly right in the world. At least portions of it. I jump in the car and head about an hour South to St. Augustine to see Torche perform live alongside long-time friends at groovy St. Augustine music dive, Sarbez. I'd seen Torche perform countless times prior to this night. At 'The Fest' in Gainesville (particularly the early years.)' Harvest of Hope' festival in 2009. I was no novice to the sweet, thunderous sound that dripped off the strings and drums of these guys. However, when long-awaited album 'Admission' was released in 2019 after four years of waiting, I was beside myself with excitement. Not only for the new album, but to see them perform. It had been a while.
(cont. below)
TORCHE, PHOTO BY BECCA BARLOW - FEBRUARY 2020 - SARBEZ, ST. AUGUSTINE, FL
It was one of the most epic nights ever. Friends and myself echoed on and on for weeks and months about how kick-ass it was and how the venue was the perfect setting for the show. How frontman, Steve Brooks, was in his best form and members, Jonathan Nuñez (guitar), Rick Smith (drums), and Eric Hernandez (bass) were right there with them. I kid you not, we collectively still talk about this show.
Then the world came to a full stop as the seemingly indomitable throes and woes of Covid 19 did a work on the globe.
We didn't know then that that show would be the last one we saw for what would end up being over two years. However, it was so good, even in hindsight, there's absolutely not one thing I would have changed about that cold February night crammed in together, banging around, singing and swaying to the hard hitting tunes.
As we've made our way through the pandemic, slowly but surely more and more bands began announcing tours again. While some did make it through without cancellations and other logistical and public health related hangups in 2021, 2022 began to look a lot different. Bands have begun announcing tours left and right. So when Torche announced via social media they'd be doing a Florida tour through the month of May, there was nothing else to do but round up my best Torche-loving friends and make way to Gainesville, FL- a decent stones throw away from Jax but just close enough. May 6th felt like impending Christmas morning. That is to say if Christmas morning is seeing one of your favorite bands for the umpteenth time with your best friends.
Only six days prior to this had I gone to my first show since seeing Torche in 2020. It was almost downright serendipitous. But with them being just the second show in over two years, I'll say it was anyway.
Torche kicked off their Florida tour in Orlando, FL alongside hard-rocking, shoe-gazing, Smelter, and before we knew it the time had come. The guys headlined and played to a sold-out crowd at Gainesville live music staple, Loosey's. And as you'd expect they were as great as ever.
The setlist was one song shy of absolute perfection. (Pictured below)
I say that as a die hard 'S.F.S.' fan with 'Face The Wall' being in my top 3 of best-ever Torche songs to exist...ever (in my opinion, of course.) 'Healer', 'Slide', 'Admission', 'Kicking' and more bellowed out of venue as Torche seamlessly transitioned from one song to the next. One of the best things about their extensive discography is their uncanny ability to stay true to the Torche sound, yet, bring so many different musical elements into their set lists. In live settings this can translate into faster pace songs like 'Pirana' throwing the crowd into a thrash, moshing frenzy. To more down-tempo, sludge comprised pieces like 'Charge of the Brown Recluse' that fills your body with an irresistible urge to throw your body backward and forward with each thunderous roll of the music. Regardless of the song, the crowd is moving. Necks are breaking. Faces melting. This is the stuff rock/metal/music dreams are made of.
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I would be completely remiss if I didn't emphasize just how fucking good Torche is live. Their studio stuff is A++ but the appreciation truly comes in watching them perform live. You've got Rick in the back, side-kicking the hi-hat full karate style. Jonathan with a gravity defying head-bang that I'd recognize from a mile away. (Torche fans know exactly what I'm talking about.) Eric laying into his bass with so much force you can practically feel it in your chest. And of course, Steve, animate as ever, guitar and vocals ringing out with conviction and fun. It's honestly hard to put into words, and I get a bit nostalgic thinking about it as I write this now. I'll never forget seeing them for the first time. They'd only been a band a few years prior and when they hit the stage and I stood there in awe."Holy shit" I remember thinking to myself, eyes transfixed, slack jawed and blown away. It's hard not to love them, and even now, over a decade later, the sentiment has not changed.
'Admission' was such a well-timed and utterly superb release. I'm going to put it right up there with 'Meanderthal' and 'S.F.S.' as mayyyyybe, perhaps my favorite Torche album to date. I bring it's release up now because, although Torche hasn't had an album release since, 'Admission' to me remains timeless. It continues to cover all the Torche bases as I keep several of their songs on my daily playlists. The lyrics on some of these songs are unreservedly brilliant. While tracks such as 'Slide' and 'Extremes of Consciousness' stand as personal favorites, lyrically, 'Admission' (the track) is exemplary.
"The fence is up for reasons,
I cannot share that side."
-Admission
That lyric on its own is one I could unashamedly get tattooed somewhere on my body. If you listen to the song in full, the heart-wrenching sentiment is extraordinarily relatable in the most head banging, bittersweet way.
So what's next for Torche? Following their recent Gainesville stop, the group wrapped up their Florida tour stopping first in St. Pete for 'Lost in St. Pete Fest' wrapping up in home-city, Miami on May 8th at Gramps. Next on the docket, Desertfest May 14th in Queens, NY. Followers and fans of the group have likely seen the incredible upcoming tour they have with well-known metal pioneers, Meshuggah, alongside Converge and In Flames beginning late summer/early fall 2022. I couldn't be more thrilled for the guys as they continue to hold their rightfully-deserved place in an ever-expanding music scene. A place that only Torche can hold. It's been a sincere privilege to watch them grow and evolve over the years as an outsider looking in. From 2005's self-titled 'Torche' to 2019's 'Admission', Torche continues to remain an icon with their remarkable tone, sound and commitment to their extraordinary talent on and off the stage.
Be sure to check out Torche across all available streaming services as well as Instagram at @torche_band, Facebook, and torchemusic.com for all the latest Torche happenings, music, tour info and more.
Wishing all the guys safe travels and well wishes for a killer tour as they prep to hit the road.
As always, thank you for the awesome show.
Till we meet again...
-Becca B.
TORCHE FULL SET LIST, MAY 6, 2022, LOOSEY'S - GAINESVILLE, FL
PHOTO BY BECCA BARLOW
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